Tag Archives: Graceland

Interesting Elvis Memorabilia – Part 37

The Auction at Graceland Sign

I have run out of ideas for different titles on these posts featuring Elvis collectibles, so I’m just going to number them from now on. Here are the titles for the memorabilia articles posted so far in 2017.

2017 Elvis Auctions

So, the 37th post in this series will feature items for the recent Elvis Week 2017 Auction at Graceland. The number of lots for bid increased to 309, so the items I find interesting will fill several posts.

 

1954 Elvis Presley Ceiling Hanger Advertisement:

 

1954 Elvis Presley Ceiling Hanger Advertisement

You have to be impressed when a hanging advertisement for an Elvis record sells for $2,000. This 14 inch diameter in-store promotion featured Elvis’ second single “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” released on September 25, 1954. The auction website calls it custom-made, so presumably Sun Records made just a few for the local record stores. This one came from Popular Tunes, a record store in Memphis where Elvis shopped and hung out. It is rumored that when he released a new song, Elvis would hide around the corner to watch people go in and buy his new record.

 

Signed 1953 Humes High School Yearbook:

Signed 1953 Humes High School Yearbook

Every year or two another one of these Humes High School yearbooks shows up at auction. Elvis must have autographed the books of nearly every girl in his graduating class, and his usual message was a variation of, “Best of luck to a cute girl,” as it is in this one. The auction website describes all the pages in the yearbook pertaining to Elvis:

Elvis is depicted in his senior class portrait wearing a suit jacket and tie with a curl of hair falling onto his forehead. He has listed his major as “Shop, History, English” and his activities as “R.O.T.C., Biology Club, English Club, History Club, and Speech Club. The yearbook is 112 pages and Elvis is also mentioned on page 30 in the class’ Last Will and Testament in Section 83: “Donald Williams, Raymond McCraig and Elvis Presley leave hoping there will be someone to take their places as ‘teachers’ pets.’” Elvis is also pictured on page 56, in the 5th period 12th grade English class photo, in the back row.

If you would like to see these pages, click here.

These yearbooks are always popular with bidders, and after 15 bids, the price on this went up to $4,250, about what they usually bring.

 

1957 Soda Fountain and Ice Cream Toppings Canisters from the Graceland TV Room:

Elvis Presley’s 1957 Soda Fountain Ice Cream Toppings Canisters from the Graceland TV Room

When Elvis bought Graceland in 1957, he started remodeling immediately. He hired an interior decorator and let him decide what to do with the place. But Elvis did ask for two specific things. He wanted the most beautiful bedroom in Memphis for his mother — and he wanted a soda fountain so his friends could come and sit and have soda. He installed the ice cream machine, along with the soda fountain and topping canisters, in the bar area of the basement TV Room downstairs.

There are six ceramic canisters. The taller ones are 9 inches tall and have a soda pump. The three toppings canisters are 6 inches tall and have a chrome lid with a serving spoon attached.  Two of the soda fountains are labeled “Coca Cola” and “Root Beer,” while two of the topping canisters are marked “Marshmallow” and “Strawberry.” Two labels are missing. The set stayed in Graceland until 1974 when Linda Thompson did the remodel.

Bidding was rather light on this, but it went for $4,000. If the new owner could find a photo of Elvis standing in front of it, the value would surely go up.

 

Two Reels of 8mm Film from 1959-62:

Two Reels of 8mm Film from 1959-62

I believe someone got a real steal on this. These two rolls of film had the ridiculously low starting bid of $500 and pre-auction estimate of $1,000-1,500. They sold for $3,750.

These very interesting reels of 8 mm film contain footage of Elvis Presley and his Graceland home over a number of years, plus Elvis on location for Follow that Dream in 1961. The total viewing time is almost 20 minutes, but there is no sound. The scenes include:

Elvis Playing Football in 1961
Elvis Playing Football in 1962
His 21st Birthday Party where he kisses half a dozen different girls on the cheek as they pose for still photos.
Miscellaneous scenes showing Graceland.
Elvis signing autographs on location for Follow That Dream in Aug. 1961.” The scene shows a crowd discovering Elvis at his hotel and surrounding him, and soon he diligently signs autographs.

Based on labels on the reels, it is assumed that Ms. Pam Drew of Chicago shot this film. It seems like she (and perhaps girlfriends) caught up with Elvis a few times and had the camera ready. It is uncertain whether this film was ever shared or distributed.

The reason I think the top bid was a steal is because of the possibilities all the screen grabs present for marketing. Those shots of Elvis kissing the girls at his birthday party should alone generate big bucks for licensing. Somebody could add narration and music and editing and turn the footage into a DVD. There were 32 bids on this film, making it all the more surprising it didn’t go for a larger sum.

 

1953 “Annual Minstrel” Talent Show Program at Humes High School:

1953 “Annual Minstrel” Talent Show Program at Humes High School -- Front

Well, you wouldn’t be allowed to put an image like this on a program for a high school variety show these days. Apparently, it was okay back on April 9, 1953. Elvis is the 16th act, listed as “Guitarist,” but the interesting thing is that his last name is spelled “Prestly.”

1953 “Annual Minstrel” Talent Show Program at Humes High School - Inside

The winning bid for this program was $2,125, about what the pre-auction estimate projected.

 

Necklace – Possibly Stage-Worn in 1957:

Elvis Presley Necklace - Possibly Stage-Worn in 1957

I’m not sure why the auction website was so cautious about saying Elvis wore this item. Although they didn’t have a Letter of Authenticity from J.D. Sumner, to whom Elvis gave the neckless (along with additional tokens given to him by fans). But, they did have a LOA from Mike Moon of The Elvis Museum. Sumner gave it to the museum in the 1970s. The pendant, contains Catholic symbols on a clover-shaped design on the front, and reads on the reverse, “I am Catholic, please call a priest.”

This photo was snapped prior to Elvis’ March 28, 1957 performance at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago where he wore his famous gold-leaf suit. The website says the pendant in the picture “is very possibly the exact pendant” in the auction. Bidders must have believed this, because they ran the final price up to $8,750.

 

Complete Set of Five Elvis Presley Sun Records 45 RPM Records:

Complete Set of Five Elvis Presley Sun Records 45 RPM Records

I agree with the auction website that most collectors have to build this collection piece by piece, so it was a rare occasion to have all five Elvis Sun singles available together. Twenty bids ran the price up to $8,750

The collection includes:

1954 Sun 209 “That’s All Right” / “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (Sample stamped in red on both sides)
1954 Sun 210 “Good Rockin’ Tonight” / “I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine”
1955 Sun 215 “Milkcow Blues Boogie” / “You’re A Heartbreaker”
1955 Sun 217 “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” / “Baby Let’s Play House”
1955 Sun 223 “Mystery Train” / “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.”

Can you make a guess which of these is the most difficult to acquire? The answer is Sun 215 “Milkcow Blues Boogie.” Four of the five records in this set are rated Very Good or better. # 217 has single crack through playing surface. You can bet the new owner of this set will still be looking for a better copy of “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone.”

 

Historic January 25, 1956, Elvis Presley First Signed Document as an Adult – Certifying Earlier Agreements with Colonel Parker:

Historic January 25, 1956, Elvis Presley First Signed Document as an Adult - Certifying Earlier Agreements with Colonel Parker

Col. Tom Parker convinced Elvis and his parents to allow him to manage his career and had them all sign a contract in August 1955. Gladys and Vernon had to sign it because Elvis was just 20 years old and considered a minor. The Colonel obviously wanted something stronger, so when Elvis turned 21, Parker had Elvis sign another contract where he reaffirms his agreement to the earlier contract. It seems like Parker skipped using an attorney and composed it himself using his best legal-sounding language. He refers to himself as both “me” and Col. Thomas A Parker in the document. And when he refers to Elvis as an “infant,” he obviously meant “minor.” Have fun reading this attempt at legalese.

On this 25 day of January, 1956, before me personally appeared ELVIS PRESLEY, to me known to be the individual described in and who executed this instrument, and he duly acknowledged to me that on November 21, 1955, he entered into and signed certain management and representation agreements with Col. Thomas A. Parker, that said instruments were formerly signed and executed by him when he was still an infant under the age of 21 years, that he has since arrived at full age and is desirous of confirming the signing and execution of said agreements, and he now acknowledges that he does hereby confirm said agreements as and for his act and deed, for the purposes therein contained.

Of course the contract had a big effect on Elvis’ life. It also sold for $21,250 at this auction.

 

1956 Signed Copy of His First Album Elvis Presley:

Signed Elvis Presley Album

As far as I know, no autographed Elvis album has sold for as much as this one. The estimate of $5-10,000 seemed reasonable, but 37 bids rocketed the price up to $25,000.

What makes this album so special? The auction website says that signed copies of the Elvis Presley LP are few and far between. However, this one has an extra feature – a close connection to the inner workings of the Presley organization. The back cover has an inscription, “To Trude, A great little gal. Thanks and good luck, Elvis Presley.” This is Trude Forsher, Elvis and Colonel Parker’s west coast secretary and promotions coordinator from 1956-1961.

You may not know this fact about Elvis’ first album as explained on the auction website:

In 1956, “Heartbreak Hotel” was already a smash hit, and RCA wanted to capitalize on the heavy TV presence of its young star. So five songs RCA acquired from Sun Records when it bought Elvis’ contract were combined with seven RCA recordings to round out the album.

The front and back of the sleeve have separated from heavy use. The back of the sleeve has several areas of tape and tape residue, including one that affects “Trude” in the inscription. None of these distresses affect the Elvis signature. The bidders apparently didn’t care about this album cover not being in the best of shape. Although the photos show that the vinyl record is included, not one word was said about its condition.

 

Wraparound Sunglasses – Worn on the Set of Follow That Dream:

Elvis Presley's Wraparound Sunglasses – Worn on the Set of Follow That Dream

I know you have heard of Ray-Bans and Foster Grants, but how about Renauld sunglasses?

In the 1960s, Renauld of France created a stylish and futuristic wrap-around style sunglasses that were popular with celebrities and sport enthusiasts. The above “Sea & Ski Spectacular” model was touted as appearing to float on the face. The green lenses were guaranteed distortion-free and contained a special UV formula filter.

Elvis always wanted to be at the forefront of fashion, so it was important to him to have this latest hot item. The story of how Elvis got this pair is described in a letter from Elvis’ buddy Alan Fortas on the auction website:

“I was with Elvis during the filming of the movie Follow That Dream down in Ocala, Florida. Elvis has wanted a pair of these new wrap-around sunglasses that had just come out. He had me look in shops around town and I couldn’t find any. When Elvis wanted something he wanted it ‘NOW.’ There were hundreds of people around the set wanting autographs and just wanting to watch Elvis.

“Well, eagle eye Elvis saw someone in the crowd with a pair of the sunglasses that he wanted. He yelled at me and pointed to the person in the crowd and told me to go and ask him where he got them, and, if I had to, buy them from him. When Elvis gave you a task you followed it. Turned out the guy that was wearing them got them as a gift and he didn’t know where they came from. I said I’ll give you $50.00 for them. He said make it $100 and he’d sell them. That’s how Elvis finally got these sunglasses he had been wanting. He wore them constantly when we weren’t filming. Eventually Elvis got tired of these when he started wearing another style and gave these to me.”

The Renauld sunglasses went for $11,875, which is more than Elvis’ familiar EP design from the 70s bring at auction. There have been many of those, but this pair of Elvis shades is one of a kind.

 

© 2017 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

 

Graceland Milestone – Elvis Humor at Graceland

Graceland Plaque

Elvis Presley Enterprises never misses a chance to celebrate a new milestone relating to Elvis.  For example, the 50th anniversary of the release of his first hit, “That’s All Right, Mama” in 2004.

EPE also marks milestones involving Graceland.  On May 3rd, they announced that Graceland officially welcomed its 20 millionth paid visitor since opening to the public on June 7, 1982.

Graceland Celebrates 20 Million Visitors

 

So, EPE is now giving us fans a chance to celebrate with 20 days of events.  Until May 22, you can sign up for a giveaway:

Graceland 20 Million Fan Giveaway

There will be winners every day, but the grand prize is a getaway to Memphis including a private tour of Graceland, a three-night stay at the new Guest House at Graceland, tickets to other Memphis music attractions, and the Elvis Presley limited-edition 60-CD box set.  Click here to enter.

 

Graceland Fan Mosaic

You don’t win any prize with this one, but if you submit a photo of yourself it may end up in a mosaic photo of Graceland.  They now have an app where you can locate your photo in it.  Of course, you will be encouraged to buy a copy of the final photo, but no price has been listed yet.

 

I like to tie an ElvisBlog post in with these Elvis milestone events, but celebrating Graceland is a little harder.  I have a great file of photos, but I want to use the best ones next year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elvis’ purchase of the mansion and fourteen acres.  EPE hasn’t announced a celebration yet, but you can bet there’s one coming.

 

Elvis Humor

Then I discovered Elvis’ Humor, a book of 290 humorous Elvis anecdotes, divided into distinct categories.  Like the three in the sub-title, girls, guns, and guitars, and dozens more… including Graceland.  When I saw that, it registered on me that stories of Elvis antics at Graceland would make a great blog post to join the 20 million visitors celebration.  I contacted the book’s author, Bo Keeley, and asked for his permission to use a few, and he kindly said “yes.”

 

So here are five excerpts from Elvis’ Humor.  Bo Keeley proceeds each story with a little background information and follows with his original source book, the author, and the page number where it appears.

 

Looking Up

Elvis flails fins on the movie poster of the 1967 musical comedy ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’. He plays Lieutenant Ted Jackson who is a former U.S. Navy frogman who divides his breaths between twin careers as a deep sea diver and nightclub singer. His actual background for the role was swimming and waterskiing as a teen, and many movie sets on ocean beaches. Graceland also had a kidney-shaped pool on a cut-stone patio. In the summer of 1973, recalling his fantasy frogman days, E threw a scuba party on the Graceland patio…

  Swimming Pool at Graceland

Elvis got into snorkeling and scuba diving. He rented equipment for everyone. Of course there was nowhere to go snorkeling around Memphis so Elvis just invited a lot of people over and we used Graceland pool. The whole entourage got involved and, as usual, there was a lot of local talent, pretty young girls in scanty bathing suits, all vying for Elvis’s attention.

Elvis in Scuba Gear

When Elvis got in the water so did everyone else, but the Graceland pool wasn’t that big. It looked kind of like an underwater fight scene from a James Bond movie with all of them trying to navigate around in there. Elvis just like to sit at the bottom of the pool and watch the girls swimming above him.

– Billy Stanley, Elvis, My Brother, 288

 

Switcheroo

The Presley family moved to Graceland in the spring of 1957, between ‘Loving You’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’. One of the reasons Elvis bought the 14-acres estate is because his earlier neighbors found, despite the perks of having a famous celebrity living nearby, the constant gathering of fans and journalists was a nuisance. At the time, the property was located several miles beyond the Memphis main urbane area that, in later years, would expand with housing, resulting in Graceland being surrounded by other properties. The King immediately spent in excess of $500,000 for renovations, including the $35,000 wall around every inch of the property, and musical gates. After returning from Hollywood, Las Vegas, or a concert tour, his favorite getaway place was back home…

The Gate at Graceland

Fans were always down at the front gate at Graceland. At night they gathered to watch the lights go on and off in the different rooms.

Some nights, Elvis would call out to the barn and have Mike McGregor saddle up Rising Sun so he could ride down to the gate and sign autographs and talk.  He felt safer on a horse.

One night he called down to the gate. His uncle Harold Lloyd was on duty down there.

“Open the gate,” Elvis said.  “Tell them to come inside.”

“Come inside?” Harold echoed.

“Just hold on,” Elvis said.  “Tell them to come on inside, then shut the gate after then and lock it.”

“Lock ‘em inside?” Harold echoed again.

“That’s right,” Elvis said.

So Harold opened the gate and the fans came on inside.  They looked up at the mansion, expecting to see Elvis coming out the front door.

A car honked behind them in the street.

They turned around.  It was Elvis, driving along the boulevard, smiling and waving at them.

They all ran back to the gate.  It was shut.  Elvis drove on out of sight.

They didn’t know what to do.

Then they saw Elvis’ car swing in the back gate.  Elvis got out and walked down the winding driveway toward them.  They were so stunned they didn’t move.

They dissolved when he walked in among them and smiled.

“Hi, gang.”

– Charlie Hodge, Me ‘n Elvis, 139

 

 

Jungle Room

In the mid-1960s, Presley enlarged the house to create a den that came to be called the Jungle Room. It was originally a screened in back patio that sat behind the kitchen, which he incorporated into the main house complete with a waterfall of cut stone on the far wall. It leaked and flooded, which created a steamy atmosphere in the summer in the Jungle Room full of exotic plants, animal prints, and floor-to-ceiling shag carpet in an African motif.  One day in 1968, Elvis heard Vernon laughing and went downstairs to investigate. Vernon snickered that he had just stopped by a furniture store to have a look at a new style of home furnishing. It was hilarious, he said, and belonged in a jungle. The enormous price tag made him laugh too. Why would anyone spend that kind of money to live in a jungle?…

Rock Waterfall in Graceland Jungle Room

Elvis was inspired. He called the store and ordered the entire set. He spent much more than he would have normally dared, but it would be worth it to see the expression on his father’s face.  The furniture was delivered the next day while Vernon was out of the house.  Elvis and his men set the furniture up in the downstairs den. When everything was in place, Elvis found that he actually liked the ambiance the furniture gave the room.  He felt calm and at ease. The oversized animal-print chairs were set low and wide; the coffee table was a slab of giant cypress tree heavily lacquered with polyurethane.

Cypress Plank Table in Graceland Jungle Room

Elvis installed a rock waterfall fountain which dripped water from a pump on top, and even the lamps had an African motif.  Elvis could not express how he felt in that room, but whatever it was, he liked it.

When Vernon returned to the house, Elvis called him downstairs.  The younger Presley almost dropped to the floor with laughter at the sight of his father’s amazed face. Elvis explained that the room had originally been intended as a gag, but now he liked it and wanted to leave it as it was.

–  Jim Curtin, Elvis: Unknown Stories Behind the Legend, 43

 

Golf Cart Plunge

Elvis Presley’s response to difficulty, anxiety, nuisance, insult, and troubles was often humor. One day in the summer of ’75, the Stanley brothers were fooling around at the pool and wouldn’t stop. Elvis was trying to read at the poolside and they kept splashing him. He growled that if they didn’t’ stop… the splashing continued…

He walked off in a huff and we forgot about it. We were still in the pool about half an hour later when we saw Elvis coming over the hill in the golf cart.  He stopped, stood up, and yelled for us to get out of the pool.  We just yelled, splashed, and taunted him.

Elvis on Golf Cart

So he came driving straight toward the pool with 300-pound Lamar Fike sitting next to him on the cart.  We thought he was just trying to scare us but he came busting up and drove right into the pool.  Of course we scattered, but Lamar had trouble getting out of the cart.  So we all jumped back in to make sure he made it to the surface.  Vernon came out yelling at everyone to get out.  The cart was electric powered by batteries, and he was afraid we’d all get electrocuted.  Vernon made us drain the pool before pulling the cart out.

–  Billy Stanley, Elvis My Brother, 288

 

 

Elvis' Humor - Front and Back Covers

My thanks go out to Bo Keeley for providing these humorous Elvis stories.  If you would like to get a copy pf Elvis’ Humor, click here.

 

 

©  2016    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

Graceland Quiz – What Room are These Items In?

Decorations in TV Room at Elvis' Graceland

Graceland.com has started an interesting video series called Hidden Graceland. If you haven’t watched the first two installments, I recommend that you do. Very interesting stuff.

The above knick-knacks are decorations at the bar in the famous downstairs TV room. Let’s see if you can figure out in what room some other items can be found. Some will be easy, others will be impossible, but you will enjoy learning about them.

Lamp In Elvis' Graceland Living Room

If you scroll down, you will learn that this lamp is located in the….

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Elvis on Couch in Geaceland Living Room

Graceland Living Room

 

Now for something a little more difficult.

Elvis' Desk in his Bedroom suite office (2)

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Bedroom Suite Office in Elvis' Graceland

Office in Bedroom Suite

Map of Upstairs at Elvis' Graceland

The desk is oriented differently in Elvis’ office in this schematic of Graceland’s upper floor. The oval in the bathroom shows where Elvis died. The room at the top is labelled Ginger’s dressing room, so this layout must have been drawn in 1976-77. Also, note that there are stairs going down to the front entrance and to the kitchen.

 

Couches in Elvis' Graceland Raquet Ball Lounge

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Raquet Ball Lounge in Elvis' Graceland

Raquet Ball Lounge

Note the piano. How many do you think there were at Graceland?

This should be easy.

Chandalier above The Front Entrance Stairs

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Front Entrance Stairway at Elvis' Graceland

Front Entrance Stairway

 

 

Furniture in Elvis' Parents' Room in Graceland

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Elvis' Parents' Room in Graceland

Gladys and Vernon’s Bedroom

 

Dining Room Cabinet

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Graceland Dining Room

Graceland Dining Room

The dining room wasn’t always this elegant. Check it out back in the early 60s with young Priscilla in view.

Priscilla in the Graceland Dining Room Mid 60s

 

This may be a tough one.

Staircase in Elvis' Graceland Jungle Room

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Strange Chair in Elvis' Graceland Jungle Room

Jungle Room (not sure where the steps go)

 

Here’s another interesting object found in the Jungle Room.

Model in Jungle Room at Elvis' Graceland

Not Photoshopped. She was really there, but not when Elvis was alive.

 

If you miss this, you haven’t taken the Graceland tour.

Chairs and Table in Elvis' Graceland Pool Room

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Elvis' Graceland Pool Room

Pool Room

 

Monkey in Elvis' Graceland TV Room

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TV Room in Elvis' Graceland

TV Room

 

Here’s a bonus picture of something else in the TV room.

Elvis' Records in TV Room at Elvis' Graceland

Elvis’ Phonograph Records

 

This is one of the impossible ones I mentioned at the start.

Storage Room off TV Room at Elvis' Graceland

It is in one of the storage rooms off the TV room.

Christmas Decorations

It mostly stores Christmas decorations now, but back in the 70s, Charlie Hodge lived there for a while.

TV Room in Basement of Elvis' Graceland

In the upper right, the room is marked Bodyguard’s Room. I see an adjacent bathroom with a toilet and sink. I wonder where Charlie showered.

 

Projection TV in Elvis' Graceland Jungle Room

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Jungle Room in Elvis' Graceland

Jungle Room (Projection TV not there now)

 

Light Fixtures in Elvis' Graceland Kitchen

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Kitchen in Elvis' Graceland

Graceland Kitchen

 

How did you do on the Graceland Quiz? We may try this again. By my count, Elvis had three pianos in Graceland: the living room, the bedroom, and the racquetball lounge.

 

© 2016 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Graceland West


Elvis' Graceland Looking West

Study this aerial photo for a minute. In the middle of the big wooded area is the Graceland Mansion and all the other buildings. You can see the swimming pool and the Meditation Garden on the left. Now look across the street. You can’t miss Elvis’ plane, the Lisa Marie, and the rest of the buildings of Graceland Plaza, home to the ticket office, shops and restaurants. At the far left end you can barely make out the blue Caddy in front of the Car Museum.

Current Graceland Plaza in Memphis

Here’s a couple of ground level shots of Graceland Plaza. Like me, you probably have good memories of time spent there on our pilgrimages to Memphis.

More Current Graceland Plaza

Well, soon memories will be all there is. EPE is going to tear the whole thing down. And wait ‘til you see what they want to build instead.

 

Memphis Commercial Appeal Article on Graceland Expansion

This article appeared on the Memphis Commercial Appeal website dated September 3, 2015. The key words in the headline are “files plans,” which means there may be a few snags before this becomes a reality. Here is what EPE is proposing.

They are seeking approval for a $30-35 million entertainment complex tentatively named Graceland West on 45 acres. According to the application to the Office of Planning & Development, the project will include “a car museum showcasing cars owned by Elvis, two restaurants, a soundstage, a retail component, and a museum highlighting and named Elvis the Entertainer.’’

Sounds pretty good, but where did this 45 acres come from?

 

Aerial View of Graceland Plaza and Land behind it

Let’s study another map. At the bottom center we see the current Graceland Plaza. All that land behind it used to be the Craft Manor Apartments. Some years ago, EPE purchased the whole thing, and as you can see, all the buildings have been demolished. So, EPE can build their new Graceland West complex there without any interruption of the business at Graceland Plaza. Things will get a little messy when the existing buildings are demolished to make way for a park-like setting with trees, landscaping, etc.

Graceland West Concept Plan

This drawing takes a little time to understand, but you will see a curving entrance road come off Elvis Presley Boulevard and lead to a turn-around area for the busses that move people to-and-from the mansion. You can see this entrance road has a gate, but what is harder to see is that a six-foot-high ornamental metal fence surrounds the entire property. There will be trees planted along the bottom of it fronting Craft Rd, but the view along Elvis Presley Boulevard will be unobstructed.

Now, see the grey area in the center. That is sort-of an open pedestrian plaza with sidewalks, benches, fountains, etc. Right in the center is an irregular-shaped building that obviously will house the ticket office and plenty of other stuff.

Around the perimeter of the plaza area, you can see a sprawling E-shaped building. And I believe there is one more building northeast of the central one. It flanks the entrance from the large parking lot at the top.

Other tid-bits of information in the news release included:

They hope to have it completed by October 2016, the same as the new 450-room Guest House at Graceland.

Total acreage for all the various EPE properties now is 120 acres. It started out with just Graceland at 12 acres.

Landscaping in front includes willow oak, tulip poplar and maple trees.

Memphis and the state of Tennessee will make $43 million worth of improvements to Elvis Presley Boulevard over the next three to five years. I believe this includes much more than just the section in front of Graceland.

“Graceland West” is not expected to be the final name of the entertainment complex.

Heartbreak Hotel will be knocked down. In its place, more parking will be added.

A 35-foot-high lighted sign will be part of the project. (Sounds like Las Vegas, doesn’t it?)

Memphis Commercial Appeal Article on Graceland Expansion

At this meeting, nearby residents gathered to listen to the President and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Jack Soden. He told them that Elvis’ memorabilia and displays will be moved across the street and showcased in a new 22,000 square-foot Elvis “career museum.”

“We’re going to move an awful lot of what’s presented in the trophy building and the racquetball building on the Graceland tour, which, if you think about it, we just kinda shoe-horned the entire story of Elvis-the-entertainer into what was a rec room and a racquetball court. We’re going to do all of that justice, the gold records, the jumpsuits, the guitars, the awards, all the things related to his amazing, iconic career.”

The new complex will include seven retail spaces totaling 30,047 square feet, at least two restaurants totaling 15,016 square feet, and an orientation/ticket building of 12,428 square feet.

A writer on elvisinfonet.com posed an interesting question: “What will become of the newly cleared spaces in the trophy and racquetball buildings? Will EPE seek to restore those rooms to appear exactly as they were when Elvis was alive, and then will visitors have to pay more to see both the mansion and the memorabilia?” You can be sure the answer to that question is Yes.

The Land Use Control Board gave its unanimous endorsement to the project on Thursday, October 8.  Now all it takes is vote by the Memphis City Council to approve. Looks like Graceland West (or whatever the choose to call it) is going to happen.

 

 

© 2015 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Happy 4th of July, Elvis

Elvis Red and Gold 4th of July

Back in 2009, I posted the first ElvisBlog pictorial salute to Elvis on the 4th of July. It was supposed to be an annual thing, but I notice I skipped last year for some reason.

Notice how Elvis has on his American Eagle jumpsuit in the above picture, and there is an image of a real eagle, too. Over the years, four other of our Elvis 4th of July pictures have also contained eagles. Of course, the American Eagle jumpsuit shows up in many of these patriotic pictures, including three this year.

 

Elvis in4th of July Hat

This one is more fun. It looks like Elvis has been invited to an Alice in Wonderland tea party.

 

Lisa in Red White and Blue

I love this photo. Look at little Lisa all dressed up in red, white and blue.

 

Soldier Elvis 4th of July

These designs with Elvis in uniform could work with several holidays, but it says “Happy 4th of July,” so it belongs here.

 

Elvis 4th of July Kaleidoscope

Another good use of the American Eagle jumpsuit in this busy, but colorful, kaleidoscope design. This must have taken a lot of time to put together.

 

Elvis Happy Fourth of July

I kind of like the simplicity of this one.

 

Elvis 4th of July Penant Flag

I think this is one of those hanging pennants you can buy. It should last forever if you bring it out just once s year for a few days.

 

Red White and Blue Graceland

How about Graceland decked out in red, white, and blue? I hope it’s not going to be like the Christmas decorations that stay up until January 8. Too long.

 

Elvis God Bless America

The last American Eagle jumpsuit in the 4th of July tribute to Elvis. (The last picture of Elvis, too)

 

Rockin 4th of July

From ElvisBlog to all the Elvis fans out there

 

Previous Happy 4th of July, Elvis pictorials:

2012     2011     2010     2009

 

© 2014 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

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Graceland Opened to the Public 32 Years Ago

Graceland Opening Flyer

As you can see in the above poster, Graceland opened to the public on June 7, 1982. Last Saturday was June 7, 2014, thirty-two years later, and my original plan was to post an ElvisBlog article on that day commemorating the anniversary. Then, my cat nearly died and it took three days for her to get out of danger. So, this post is a week late.

 

Crowd on Opening of Graceland June 7, 1982

When I first saw this photo, I thought it was a shot from Elvis Week. But it was taken on the day Graceland’s gates opened and let the public inside for the first time. Look at that crowd. What a pent-up demand the fans must have had to get a look into Elvis’ world.

 

 Graceland-Aerial-View-June-7-1982

This is an aerial view taken on opening day. The tree cover is so heavy that you can barely see Graceland mansion in the upper right-hand corner. What you can see is the crowd massed at the gate, continuing down along the fieldstone wall, continuing beyond the property line down the street and then around the corner into a residential street for a considerable distance.

 

Aunt Delta and Jack Soden at opening of Graceland, June 7, 1982

This is Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Soden is still in that position and has overseen many changes at Graceland and especially across the street at the welcome center.

The woman in the picture is Elvis’ Aunt Delta Mae Biggs (Vernon’ sister). She and her mother Minnie Mae were living in Graceland when Elvis died, and the estate allowed them to stay there as long as they lived. Minnie Mae died in 1980, and Aunt Delta passed away in 1993. She had occupied Vernon and Gladys’ former bedroom, so it was not part of the tour when Graceland opened. After her death, the room was converted back the way it was when Elvis’ parents lived there. It and the kitchen were then added to the tour.

Elvis' Parents' Bedroom at Graceland

Bedroom occupied by Vernon and Gladys before Aunt Delta.

 

That’s about it for pictures relating to the opening of Graceland to the public, but there are some other unusual ones in my Graceland file, so let’s look at some.

 

Newspaper Article about Elvis Buying Graceland

This newspaper article makes it clear that there was no veil of secrecy surrounding Elvis’ interest in buying Graceland. One paragraph in it is interesting. Elvis had been very impressed with comedian Red Skelton’s home in Hollywood. While filming a movie, Elvis had apparently seen Skelton’s hilltop house with a mile-and-a-half drive from the gate and garages for his eleven cars. Elvis is quoted in the article: “This is going to be a lot better than Red Skelton’s house, when I get it like I want it.”

 

Original 1957 Graceland Mailbox

This is interesting, too. It is the original mailbox dating back to when Graceland was built in 1939 on Highway 51.. Of course, the address is now 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard.

 

Graceland Farms cattle auction 1942

Although the Graceland house was built much later, the original 500 acre property was a working farm dating back to Civil War times. You can see that as late as 1942, registered Hereford cattle were raised and sold on the property.

The first owner was S.E. Toof, and he named the estate (the house did not yet exist) after his daughter Grace. Her niece and husband built the house, and their daughter sold it and 13-3/4 acres of land to Elvis.

 

Map of Graceland

There have been several versions of this Graceland map over the years. For example, Graceland Crossing in the upper right-hand corner was not there when I last visited Graceland. Formerly, it was a nondescript shopping center of independent merchants.

Now, go back to the map again. What’s the most prominent feature? It’s not Graceland, which is squeezed into a little space along the right edge. It doesn’t show the pool, Meditation Garden, Vernon’s office, the racquetball building, the horse barn and other things that make the fan experience of visiting Graceland special. What the map does show in detail is Graceland Plaza across the street.

Graceland Corners

The map lists a total of fourteen stores and three restaurants in Graceland Plaza and Graceland Crossing, but just seven attractions (Graceland plus six exhibits/museums). Something just seems out of balance with this.

Next time I get to Memphis, I’ll take in the newer exhibits and probably have a meal at Rockabilly’s Diner, but the main attraction to me will always be this.

Graceland at Sunset

 

© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Merry Christmas to Everyone in ElvisWorld

 

Merry Christmas to Everyone in ElvisWorld

Graceland in Winter - Front View

And a Happy New Year in 2014

Graceland in Winter - Angled View

ElvisBlog Christmas Wreath

Phil Arnold,  Original Elvis Blogmeister